2/27/12 Magic Hat +/-

So last night after doing some resistance training and finishing the book I have been reading I decided to reward myself with a Magic Hat +/- that I got from a colleague at work. The temperature of the beer was at a freezing 25.3 degrees. I believe I let it in the freezer a tad to long but I thought it was only around 30 minutes so I didn't think it was going to get that cold. I do wish I would have just left it in the fridge though. The head was huge at around 4" with a foamy appearance and a medium color. The head lacing was excellent and the head dissipated slowly. The carbonation was fizzy and it had a normal clarity with a copper color. The taste was that of burnt grain which sounds like it wasn't a good taste but it was really good although I don't know what was up with my nose but I couldn't really detect any aroma to the brew. The flavor was moderate with an average finish length and a watery mouth feel. The tongue hit was towards the middle and the body lacing was excellent. Overall this was an excellent beer and I gave it an A- only because of my issue with it coming to such a could temperature so quickly that I couldn't really experience the true flavor of the beer. Thanks for reading and as always please drink responsibly.

From the Magic Hat website

• TYPE: Dark Mild
• YEAST: English Ale
• HOPS: Northern Brewer
• MALTS: 2-Row Pale, Maris Otter Pale, Chocolate, Victory, Cara 45L, Special B
• ABV: 4.2
• GRAVITY: null Plato
• BITTERNESS: 15
• SRM: 24.0
• AVAILABILITY: January 15 to March 31

As temperatures rise, the fever follows. A portable celebration of unbridled vernal joy, this thawing mixer serves to stir you from winter slumber. Listen as the Rockin' Robin sings spring into all things... Ca-Caw! Ca-Caw!

2/22/12 McSorley's Irish Black Lager

So last night after another exhausting day of work I decided I needed something to help me relax and keep me in the spirit of reviewing. I had two new beers in my fridge so I figured I would have one last night and one today. I love dark beers so I decided to have a McSorley's Irish Black Lager. The beer came in at a nice temperature of 40.7 degrees with a huge head at 5" that had the erupting look to it at the head dissipated slowly. The head lacing was excellent and had a frothy medium dark appearance. The carbonation was lively and the body clarity was dark and black with a reddish tinge when you held it up to the light. It had a smooth toasted dark chocolate taste that I've found in a lot of black lagers which makes the style very enjoyable. The flavor was moderate with a long finish length and a creamy mouth feel with a back tongue hit. The body lacing was excellent and overall I'd rate it at an A-. It was a really great beer and a great representation of the style. Hope you enjoyed reading this and as always drink responsibly.

2/23/12 Green's Dubble Dark Ale (Gluten Free)

So last night after another hard days work and looking forward to having today off I was thinking that I should have something different again. I was also eager to try out another beer recently received from a colleague at work. So I decided to hit up my first gluten free beer and something further exploring beers from Belgian brewers. So I ended up trying Green's Dubble Dark Ale. The beer cam in at a nice 44.2 degrees which was surprising because it tasted colder than that. It  had a large to huge head at 4" with a rocky dark brown appearance and excellent head lacing. The head dissipated slowly and the carbonation was lively with a murky clarity and brown body color. It had a perfume aroma and a red wine taste that took me a while to put my finger on which was surprising considering I had a glass of red wine within the last week. The flavor was light with an average finish length and a buttery mouth feel. The tongue hit was towards the middle with excellent body lacing and I mean the best body lacing I have ever seen on a beer. Overall I would rate it B+ to A- because it was something I had never had before and was very different but I am not a huge fan of red wine so it lost some points from me for that. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

Nutritional information from bottle

Serving size 8.45oz
Servings per bottle 2
118 Calories
10mg sodium
6.27g Total Carbohydrates
1.25g Protein
Ingredients water, millet, buckwheat, rice sorghum, hops, yeast

Information from Green's website

The History of Endeavour Dubbel Ale

The dubbel style originated in Belgium, possibly as a "second style" offered for sale by monastic breweries. Green's Endeavour Dubbel is the world's first version of this style made with no barley.

Taste

In the classic dubbel fashion, a hint of dark-sugar and toffee flavor; and a traditional Belgian yeast bouquet.

Serving Suggestion

Makes a fine aperitif; also great with traditional Italian antipasto, soft cheeses, gluten-free baked goods and Belgian-style "pomme frites."

Product Sizes and Quantities

• 16.9-ounce (500 ml) bottles / 12 per case

Stats

ABV: 7.0% - OG: 1.064 - IBU: 24

2/20/12 Genny Light

So last night I made my weekly trek up to Dorko's Cafe in Mount Carmel, PA. I haven't had the pleasure of going for the last two weeks because of scheduling conflicts and I was very excited to finally attend again. Much to my dismay Larry was not able to moderate because of an upcoming medical procedure and Bob to the mic in his place. The RZA was severely off its game and with no one at the table ever playing Yahtzee last was the only place we had a chance of making. The food was excellent and me looking for a beer that I haven't had yet decided on possibly the only beer I have not had there yet Genny Light. I decided not to get my traditional glass because I knew that Genny Light was not on par with my typical brews. It had a fizzy carbonation and a taste that resembled seltzer water and dough and an aroma that matched. The flavor was light and the finish length was short with a dry mouth feel and a front tongue hit. Overall I wouldn't say that it was horrible but I wouldn't have it other than just to try. I personally prefer something with a bit more flavor so I gave it a C+. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

Information from myfitnesspal.com

Genny - Light Beer

1. Servings:  12 ounces 1 ounces

Calories	110	Sodium	0 mg
Total Fat	0 g	Potassium	0 mg
Saturated	0 g	Total Carbs	8 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	1 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Vitamin A	0%	Calcium	0%
Vitamin C	0%	Iron	0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Information from Genny website

2/18/12 Sudwrek Hefe Weizen Wheat Beer

So I'm trying to get back into reviewing more often again and getting rid of all my older stock of beer. So last night I chose Sudwerk Hefe Weizen Wheat Beer. The temperature was 41.9 degrees on this unfiltered wheat beer. It had a large 2 1/2" head for the pint glass I chose to drink it in. The head appearance was foamy and off white with excellent lacing. The head dissipated closer to quickly than slowly I would say at a moderate rate. The carbonation was lively with sparkling clarity and a straw color. The aroma and taste were a mixture of wheat raisin and dark cherry. The flavor was light with an average finish length and a creamy mouth feel. The tongue hit was towards the back with excellent body lacing. Overall I would say that it was a pretty decent beer that I would drink again however it wasn't anything that knocked my socks off so I gave it a B+. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

Information from Sudwerk page

Hefe Weizen

The Sudwerk Hefeweizen is a truly authentic, unfiltered Bavarian style wheat beer.

The unique top fermenting (Ale) yeast remains in the beer producing a distinctive aroma and flavor profile. Hefeweizen has been the top-seller so far this year, in part because it is a favorite during the summer-time months.

Style of Beer: Hefeweizen Ale

Taste: slightly fruity, dry, spicy, refreshing

Available in: 1/2 barrel kegs, 5 gallon keg, 6 packs

Awards: California Brewer’s Guild Commercial Craft Brew Competition: Bronze 2001, Bronze 2003, Bronze 2004, Gold 2005, Bronze 2006, Gold 2007, Silver 2008, Bronze 2009, Silver 2010, Silver 2011

 California Brewers Festival
 Gold 2003

2/17/12 Heineken

So its been a while since my last post and it has also been a while since I drank this beer and filled out my form on it. So long that I can't remember to put the correct date on it. I have tons of beers to try in my fridge and some are getting close to 3 months old. So I apologize for my laziness. I have been feeling sick the last week or so and haven't made it to trivia in two weeks now. I hoping that writing this review will help get my re-energized and back into writing again. I was on luminosity yesterday and it said that writing a blog was a good brain stimulating activity so I figured I had to make it a point to write this one today. So a while ago I was eating some food I don't recall and wanted to knock another beer review off the shelf so I chose Heineken. The temperature was 40.5 degrees and the head was a large 3" with a frothy white appearance and excellent head lacing. The head dissipated slowly and the carbonation was lively. The aroma and taste were a mixture of lemon and barley. The flavor was light and the mouth feel was watery. The finish length was average with a middle tongue hit and good body lacing. Overall I gave it a B+ even though this particular one was no where near a B+ but ones I had in the past were much better. I don't know if it was sitting around to long or what. But you know it wasn't good when you can remember it being bad a week later. Thanks for reading and as always drink responsibly.

Nutritional information provided by myfitnesspal.com

Heineken - Beer

1. Servings:  12 oz 1 oz

Calories	150	Sodium	8 mg
Total Fat	0 g	Potassium	0 mg
Saturated	0 g	Total Carbs	12 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	2 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Vitamin A	0%	Calcium	0%
Vitamin C	0%	Iron	0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

2/2/12 Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale

So last night after a lot of hard work cleaning, grocery shopping, and taking care of the kids I decided I need a really great beer. So I decided to partake in another enjoyable Harpoon beer and I went with their Belgian Pale Ale. The temperature was an icy 30.9 degrees with an average 2 1/2" head and a foamy off-white appearance. The head dissipated slowly and the head lacing was excellent. The carbonation was lively with a gold color and a normal clarity. The aroma was a mixture of barely and citrus and the taste had a light spice taste.The flavor was moderate with an average finish length and a dry mouth feel. The tongue hit was towards the middle and the body lacing was excellent. Overall I would rate it an A. I really loved the hints of spice and how complex this beer was. Thanks for reading and as always please drink responsibly.

BEER SPECIFICATIONS
Style:	Belgian Pale Ale
History:	brewed since 2010
Orig. Gravity:	15.4 P
Color:	20 EBC
ABV:	5.8%
IBU’S:	33
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
fruity or tart cheeses, red meat, pickles

HISTORY OF THE STYLE

Belgian Pales consume the Belgian brewing scene, and were initially brewed around World War II to compete with Pilsners. They are traditionally less bitter than regular Pale Ales. They have a color range from pale yellow straw to amber hues. Flavors can vary although most have a natural spice flavor coming from yeast and hops. A recent trend for this style has been a hoppier version, popular in the United States.

 

We first brewed a Belgian Pale Ale for a Belgian beer festival in Boston several years ago. We have been working on variations ever since. We are proud to unveil this beer to all our fans.

Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale is a fusion of Belgian and American brewing styles.      

 

 

BEER CHARACTER

The traditional Belgian yeast used for fermentation produces fruity, slightly spicy aromatics. A blend of Pale, Caramel, and Munich malts creates a golden amber hue with malty, sweet notes up front.  A generous addition of Amarillo hops delivers a floral, citrusy hop character throughout and Apollo hops lend a hint of bitterness to the finish.    

Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale has the spicy yeast characteristics of traditional Belgian beers along with an exceptional hop aroma and flavor.   

 

  

AVAILABLE

YEAR ROUND